Marc Colombo: "The Cowboys Need a Run Game"

Colombo spent five and a half seasons with the Cowboys

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Ask former Cowboys offensive line Marc Colombo what’s wrong with the current team--a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2009 and has been 16-16 over the past two seasons--and you won’t get a terribly complicated response.

“The Cowboys need a run game,” Colombo told 105.3-FM “The Fan” this week, via the Dallas Morning News. “It's putting a lot of strain on the quarterback, it's putting a lot of strain on the tackles. When you're not running the ball, teams are just pinning their ears back. They're sitting in Cover 2, two safeties deep in the field, just saying come pass the ball. You have to make these teams pay with the run game.”

Head coach Jason Garrett is a .500 coach in his first two full seasons, but the blame doesn’t belong to the Princeton grad, according to Colombo. Rather, he says, it’s on the offensive line to hold themselves accountable and perform.

“Jason Garrett is extremely smart. I don't think it's his issue,” Colombo said. “The offensive line needs to take it upon themselves, which we used to do, and say this needs to get corrected. They're not doing that right now. I think it's more of an inside problem, you know between the guards and the center. Doug Free's played a lot of football games. He's talented. He's that guy, but I think his confidence right now is shaken, because you have to line up and throw the ball 60 times a game. I don't care who you are at tackle, he's going to get beat.”

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